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Roman Legionary
|} The Roman Legionary was a professional of the Roman Army during the Late Republic up till the fall of the empire. To become a Legionary, a man would have to be both a citizen of Rome and be under the age of 45. All legionaries had to enlist for 25 years of service in the army, as opposed to merely fighting for a single campaign as it was in the earlier days. In general, the Legionaries consisted of middle-class citizens, whilst the upper-class were generally part of the equestrians. Legionary veterans would be given easier duties compared to their younger counterparts, and many Legionaries would go on to become gladiators, to keep making use of their particular skill. Each Legionary would be put into an eight man group that would spend all their time together, this group was called a contubernium. There were 10 contubernii per century and 6 centuries per cohort. For most of the empire, there would be 9 regular cohorts, and an 800 man cohort in each Legion. This made the Roman Legion one of the most highly organized military organisations in Ancient history. History The first true Legionaries came about after the Marian reforms in 107 BC. These reforms came as a result of continued military disasters in the late 2nd century BC, and they allowed the general Marius to go on to continue defeating Rome's enemies. After these reforms, the Legionaries became literaly the lifeblood of the empire, and their decision to side with a certain faction changed the history of Rome on multiple occasions. In turbulent times of Rome's history, Legionaries were often finding themselves fighting other Legionaries for control of the state. This happenned in the Late Republic with Julius Caesar facing Pompey and Octavian Caesar facing Marc Anthony, and it happened many times during the empire, a prominent example being the Year of the Four Emperors. Later into the empire this became common place, and in fact Legionaries would probably have fought others of their kind more than foreigners during this time period. Although from their inception they were the dominant soldier on the planet, they lost this title coming into the 5th century AD. Barbarian tribes were repeatedly defeating them in battle and the Legionaries would finally disappear from history in 476 AD with the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Equipment Weapons Gladius * Type: Shortsword * Weight: 1.2-1.6 kg * Length: 50-70 cm * Width: 4-8 cm * Materials: Steel blade; Wooden hilt The Latin word for sword, the Gladius was the primary fighting implement of the Roman Empire from the 3rd century BC till the 3rd century AD. It's use was widespread throughout the empire, being used by Legionaries, Gladiators and all other manner of Roman warriors. Conventionally, the Legionary would only draw the Gladius till after it had depleted his ranged weapons, and he would then proceed to stab with it from behind his shield. Despite the gladius being designed for thrusting at the enemy from behind the protection of the shield, all types of gladius appear to have been suitable for slashing and chopping motions. Still, when used for stabbing, the Gladius was probably Antiquities most lethal weapon, even against armored opponents. Pilum * Type: Javelin * ' Weight:' 2-4 kg * Length: 2 m (30 cm iron head) * Width: 0.7 cm * Range: 15-30 m * Materials: Iron head; Wooden shaft; Lead weight The Pilum, a large javelin, was the primary long-range weapon of every Roman Legionary. Although it changed quite a bit over time, it generally consisted of a one and a half meter long pole shaft topped off by a 30 cm long iron head. The ingenious part of the Pilum was that as soon as it struck its target, the iron tip would break off. This had the duel effect of aggravating the wound it had caused, and preventing the enemy from returning it to the sender. Pugio * Type: Dagger * Weight: 0.6-0.8 kg * Length: 18-28 cm * Width: 4-5 cm * Materials: Steel blade; Wooden hilt The Pugio was the primary sidearm of the Legionaries, and a popular tool of assasination. While the Gladius was used for combat from behind a shield, the Pugio would find its use as a last resort weapon, and a weapon for when the enemy got too close for comfort. Being able to dig two inches into flesh, any stab from the Pugio would easily incapacitate most enemies. Plumbata * Type: Throwing Dart * Weight: 0.3-0.7 kg * Length: 50-70 cm * Width: 3-4 cm * Range: 50-80 m * Materials: Lead head; Wooden shaft The Plumbata was a popular weapon of Late Roman Legionaries and many armies of the early Middle-Ages. For the Legionary it was usually carried inside the shield and could then be easily accessed for quick use in battle. If thrown within its effective range, the Plumabata can penetrate up to 4 inches into unarmored skin. Such a hit would have crippled the abilities of the victim, if not outright killing them. Armor Lorica Segmentata * Type: Body Armor * Materials: Iron plates; Leather straps; Brass fitments Scutum * Type: Heavy Shield * Length: 1.2 m * Width: 75 cm * Thickness: 2-3 cm * Materials: Wooden inner-layer; Canvas and Calf-Skin outer layer; Iron boss and rims Galea * Type: Light Helmet * Materials: Iron plates; Leather straps; Brass fitments Caligae * Type: Heavy Sandals * Materials: Leather body; Iron hobnails